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Naughty, mischievous, a backbencher, he was never interested in studies. In school, more often than not, he was found outside the classroom rather than inside because the teacher forbade him to sit inside. His score in Class XII was an unimpressive 52 per cent. He hardly had the attributes of a winner in any field but 23-year-old Ripudaman Handa proved everybody wrong when he went on to beat 11 older contestants, and much more experienced than him, to win MasterChef Season 3. More than the prize money of Rs 1 crore, it was the gold medal given by the sponsors of the show that was more rewarding for Ripu because that was the first-ever medal he had received. On a mantlepiece full of trophies won by his elder brother, slowly his awards, too, are jostling for space. Recalls Ripu, still awed by his win, "Whenever my mother came for the parent-teacher meetings in school, she would only meet my brother’s teacher to know about his progress. My result was a foregone conclusion and she would search for my name at the bottom of the marks list when she came to see my results. When we were waiting for the results of MasterChef’s winner, she was standing right beside me. It was really a proud moment for me." The years after school were also not easy for him. He managed to get admission only in a correspondence course. He was also struggling with a weight problem. The scales had touched the wrong side of 100 plus — he weighed a whopping 110 kg. So he joined a gym to tackle that. Mornings and evenings were spent in the gym working out. And the time in between the two sessions was spent with friends. There was no aim in life and he was at a loss to find a focus. Once he wanted to borrow some money from his mother, who gently admonished him to earn his own. After this, he was more than determined to do something in life. Luckily, he got a job offer as a trainer at the gym where he used to work out regularly. Despite things seemingly on track, all was still not well with his world, something was still eluding him. Then, came the auditions for MasterChef. Recalls Ripu, "I stood in the line for more than 17 hours. I was the last one to enter in the studios. But even at the end of a gruelling day, the judges were very patient and sweet. They tried to put me at ease. I was really touched. For somebody who was always dismissed as a below-average performer, it was an emotional moment for me to see that so many people genuinely wanted to know all about me." More than the win, it is the respect and recognition that the title has brought for his parents that is important for the little boy in him. Because it was this that he could not give them during his school years. For somebody who drifted without an aim for so many years, the show and the win have given him a clear focus about his path ahead in life. Cooking and food have given his life a new meaning and he is planning to pursue this field single-mindedly. The prize money has been safely handed over to parents for now. However, he wants to use it to further his knowledge in the food industry and break fresh ground. As he says, "I want to bring a revolution to the industry with my recipes and techniques". At a recent award show, his dancing skills, coupled with his good looks, brought him a tentative acting offer, but he wants to focus on cooking. He is planning to write his own cookbook. For this, he has already compiled more than 60 recipes using some traditional Indian ingredients like bael. So you will have a fruit ice cream and soup made from bael to name a few. For somebody who expected to be eliminated in the initial weeks, Ripu has come a long way and is here to stay.
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